Captiv8 wrote: @ medicineman: your response, while informative and on point, sounds like an essay for English class.

I must have failed to see the humor in Child of God. I saw the transition of the main character into full-blown depravity as very sad and disturbing, as well as rather inexplicable. It just seems to happen without much rhyme or reason. Anyway, I haven't read the story you mentioned by Faulkner, but I've never been a fan of his. I read As I Lay Dying and The Sound and the Fury, and I couldn't really get into either of them. I sort of just forced them since Faulkner is so well-respected. Frankly, I don't get the hype. I might think differently if I reread the books now, but I'm not in any rush. Now I'm working through McCarthy's Border Trilogy.

Yeah, I have a hard time not lapsing into talking like that when I'm talking about books. And I love to talk about McCarthy, like I said, total fanboy. I've read all his books and most at least three times. That's how I sound when I'm sincerely interested. I really can't help it. Is it bad? (I realize it doesn't sound like a GOOD essay, but, it was late and I was tired.) Anyway, I understand that feeling about Sound and The Fury and ESPECIALLY about As I Lay Dying and I stand by the recommendation about Sanctuary. I think it's some of his most accessible work.

Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:59 pm

Captiv8

Joined: 25 Aug 2006
Posts: 8546
Location: Third Coast

medicineman wrote:

Captiv8 wrote: @ medicineman: your response, while informative and on point, sounds like an essay for English class.

I must have failed to see the humor in Child of God. I saw the transition of the main character into full-blown depravity as very sad and disturbing, as well as rather inexplicable. It just seems to happen without much rhyme or reason. Anyway, I haven't read the story you mentioned by Faulkner, but I've never been a fan of his. I read As I Lay Dying and The Sound and the Fury, and I couldn't really get into either of them. I sort of just forced them since Faulkner is so well-respected. Frankly, I don't get the hype. I might think differently if I reread the books now, but I'm not in any rush. Now I'm working through McCarthy's Border Trilogy.

Yeah, I have a hard time not lapsing into talking like that when I'm talking about books. And I love to talk about McCarthy, like I said, total fanboy. I've read all his books and most at least three times. That's how I sound when I'm sincerely interested. I really can't help it. Is it bad? (I realize it doesn't sound like a GOOD essay, but, it was late and I was tired.) Anyway, I understand that feeling about Sound and The Fury and ESPECIALLY about As I Lay Dying and I stand by the recommendation about Sanctuary. I think it's some of his most accessible work.

No worries, man. It was one of those things I felt compelled to mention. I'm about a third of the way through All the Pretty Horse right now, and really enjoying it. Unfortunately I saw the movie first, though that was a few years ago so it's hazy. Anyway, McCarthy certainly has a distinct way of writing. In fact, I'd say he has two distinct ways of writing: a more complex and verbose style expressed in books like Outer Dark and Blood Meridian, and the more terse but still eloquent style of Child of God, No Country for Old Men, and The Road. I find both really engaging, so I think that's a testament to his skill as a storyteller. McCarthy also doesn't bother with context; the reader just gets thrust into the events as they're happening.

Sat Feb 09, 2013 6:41 am

INFP7

Joined: 02 Sep 2013
Posts: 19

I started to read Joe Hill's "Heart Shaped Box". He is Stephen King's son and it seemed promising. Unfortunately, it was not good enough to even finish and just a waste of time. Feel free to put that on your do not read list no matter what Oprah says :) Now I am reading, "Art of Seduction" by Robert Greene. So far it is FAR more interesting then that stupid box book. :)

Sat Sep 07, 2013 1:09 am

Sage FrancisSelf Fighteous

Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 21671

I just finished "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates" by Tom Robbins.
I may have just found a new favorite writer. This book was hard to put down but I had to slow down the closer I got toward the end as I wanted to prolong the experience. I definitely need thank the random fan who threw this book to me at my Santa Ana show a few months ago. I've picked up several other books by Mr. Robbins, but I can't delve into them until I get my next album done. I say that now, but I may start sneaking my way into "Jitterbug Perfume" when no one's looking.

Sat Sep 07, 2013 1:25 am

Captiv8

Joined: 25 Aug 2006
Posts: 8546
Location: Third Coast

It's no coincidence that those are the only Tom Robbins books I have. I've read Jitterbug Perfume only, however. I absolutely loved it. Prepare to breeze through it.

Sat Sep 07, 2013 8:14 am

NeuroA champion of Kurtis SP

Joined: 19 Jul 2002
Posts: 7852

just got hp lovecraft the complete fiction book, basicly all his short stories in one book, ive never read any of his work before but i like this style , and like the supernatural horror type themes

also the reason why im posting this

hes from providence rhode island

anyone have any good info on him i should know? or recommend any of his stories to read before others?

Mon Sep 09, 2013 10:29 pm

Captiv8

Joined: 25 Aug 2006
Posts: 8546
Location: Third Coast

I have the same book. One of the things you'll quickly realize about Lovecraft is that he was way ahead of the curve when it came to inventive and vivid sci-fi horror. Nobody was writing about the things he was. Some of it is downright creepy, and his shit about Cthulhu is downright insane. You'll discover that some of Lovecraft's stories revolve around the fictional town of Arkham and its environs. This, I think, is a tactic utilized much later by Stephen King and his fictional town of Derry, Maine. Anyway, I would look up what stories involve Arkham (here wikipedia is your friend) and maybe read those in chronological order. It's certainly not necessary, but it might make more sense to get the total Arkham picture first.

Tue Sep 10, 2013 9:34 am

Captiv8

Joined: 25 Aug 2006
Posts: 8546
Location: Third Coast

After reading Norwegian Wood I'm really starting to lose faith Haruki Murakami. The book was dull and repetitive, and I'm not sure how it propelled him to fame in Japan. The character development is absurd and absolutely unrealistic. Protagonist Toru Watanabe has unfathomably weird relationships with the two main female characters, Naoko and Midori. And the dialogue... Christ. It was just an extension of characters I never really care about. For example, Midori constantly talks about sex with Toru in the most annoying, needy way possible. And yet they never do the deed because Toru's penis is lassoed to Naoko's emotional instability. And SPOILER ALERT

Everybody around Toru is committing suicide. By my count, Kizuki, Hatsumi, and Naoko. And you know what? Since I never cared about Naoko's character in the first place, and I suspected she would kill herself sooner or later, I wanted it MUCH sooner so I didn't have to hear her terribly conceived emotional problems anymore. Shit, I wanted Midori to get hit by a train too for being such an emotional waif. The only character I did care about, aside from Toru himself (thank God, or I wouldn't have made it) was Reiko. And then, SPOILER ALERT

Toru has sex with her too and some Mrs. Robinson shit, after he's been so brokenhearted about Naoko offing herself. Understand that Reiko is like 40 and was Naoko's best friend and mentor at the mental asylum they both stayed at. Then, right after Naoko's dies she travels to Tokyo to meet up with Toru and they hold their own personal funeral for Naoko. And then Reiko and Toru are apparently so consumed with lust that they bang four times. Makes sense.

They only reason I read this whole fucking piece of garbage was I kept hoping that something interesting would happen, or that there would be some kind of unforeseen twist. Nope. This is 294 pages of wasted time. I have Sputnik Sweetheart on the shelf at home, and if that doesn't wow me I'm getting rid of all things Murakami except Kafka on the Shore, which is awesome.

Sat Mar 15, 2014 7:37 am

SFR announcement

Joined: 26 Jul 2004
Posts: 951

I figure this interview should be posted here and hopefully kickstart more of a book discussion.

With almost 20 years’ experience in the rap game, Sage Francis has seen his share of highs and lows, experiences that continue to shape him, as both man and artist. A founder of the Strange Famous label, based in Rhode Island, Francis properly made his name, in the UK at least, as a part of the Anticon roster, with his ‘Personal Journals’ LP of 2002 greedily drinking in critical acclaim. And plenty more has followed.

June 2nd sees the release of Francis’s fifth studio album, ‘Copper Gone’, via Speech Development – the British label operated by Scroobius Pip. (Strange Famous handles stateside matters.) The album follows his 2013 mixtape, ‘Sick To D(eat)h’, from which ‘Blue’ (below) is taken.

Here, Sage takes us through some of his favourite reads as part of Clash’s regular Their Library series....

Q: What is your favourite book and why?

A: I don't really have a favorite book. However, the first novel I
read as an adult, outside of a school setting, was "It" by Stephen
King. I was a very slow reader at the time so I think it took me the
whole year to read. The television series made me want to read the
book and I'm really glad that I did. Especially since the TV version
conveniently skipped over the part where all the kids have an orgy
inside of the cave. That shit actually made me cry. I'm not sure if
that's a normal reaction, but that part was so deeply symbolic and
powerful. It was also important for me to realize how certain tools
and techniques are specific to books, just as certain styles and
techniques work best for a rap song or for script writing. I had to
learn how to switch the gears in my head to experience books after all
the years of school assignments made me feel like reading was just a
task.

Q: What other authors do you like?

A: Kurt Vonnegut of course. I own a lot of HST and Bukowski books. My
current favorite is Tom Robbins. Thankfully a fan of mine threw
"Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates" at me while I was performing
on stage in Santa Ana, CA last year. It sent me down a Tom Robbins
rabbit hole. I've read four of his books now and I have a few more
sitting on deck. It depresses me that there's a finite number of books
from the authors I love so I try to pace myself.

Q: What draws you to certain books?

A: When a book isn't literally being thrown at me, I'm mostly drawn to
books that get me invested in the journey and development of several
characters. I like feeling invested in the idea of who they are and
what they represent. I think my favorite type of book is one that
explains a truth, philosophy or ideology to me in the form of
fictional story. It allows more room for deeper truths to be told.
"The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien explains this type of thing
really well. I've noticed that some people think that fictitious
stories are a waste of time because, like, who wants to read something
that's completely made up? As if the "truth" they read in non-fiction
books aren't clouded by non-truths or bold faced lies. To those people
I say, "Oh. Who's being naive, Kay?"

Q: Have you ever discovered a real lost classic? What is it and why?

A: I'm not sure if you're asking about a book that's already
considered a classic, or a book I've read that I think should be
considered a classic. I was a late bloomer when it comes to reading
books so I'm actually catching up on all the old classics. I recently
read the Count of Monte Cristo and devoured the hell out of it. It
took some dedication to get through the slower parts, but the pay off
is sweet.

Q: Do your literary influences have a direct impact on your songwriting?

A: I don't think so. A lot of things inspire my songwriting, but not
many things influence it. However, if I started writing books I
definitely think I would be influenced by the authors I've been
reading. I'll just need to make sure I read a lot more books from
different types of writers so I can figure out my own voice and/or
style. I'd like to give it a shot at some point.

Q: What are you reading at the moment?

A: I'm currently reading "Bad Science" by Ben Goldacre.

Q: What is the first book you remember reading as a child?

A: The first book I remember reading is probably "Where the Wild
Things Are." I distinctly remember getting caught up in the
illustrations. But when I learned how to read, the first book I
remember loving is Judy Blume's "Superfudge." The first big book I
read was "Communion" by Whitley Strieber. It was dry in a lot of
sections and very difficult to get through, but my fascination with
aliens kept me going. I remember handing in a book report for it and
my 5th grade teacher was less than thrilled.

Q: Did you make good use of your library card as a child / teenager?

A: I can't say that I did. In fact, the only time I used the library
in school was when I needed to do research for papers. In college I
used the library to get internet access. I love being inside of
libraries though. At this point, I love them even more when there are
no computers around.

Q: Have you ever found a book that you simply couldn't finish?

A: Haha, well...yeah. I'm not a great reader. There are several books
on my shelf that are half finished. One book that annoyed me so much
that I threw it away is "Pygmy" by Chuck Palahniuk. I had heard so
much about "Choke" and "Fight Club", both of which I still intend on
reading, but while I was in an airport I saw "Pygmy" was a new
release. I tried my best to enjoy it, but the narration style.

Q: Do you read book reviews?

A: I don't check out book reviews before reading anything. However,
sometimes I will check out the reviews once I'm finished a book to see
if other people feel the same way I do or if they have different
perspectives. Reviews are fun to read in general. I book a lot of
hotels and I always love reading 1 star hotel reviews online. That's a
goldmine of material.

Q: Would you ever re-read the same book?

A: No, but I definitely plan on it. I keep my favorite books sitting
on the bookshelf so that I can always go back to them when I feel like
it's time.

Q: Have you ever identified with a character in a book? Which one and why?

A: I identify with almost every character in every book I read. That's
probably common. What good is a book if you can't identify with the
character on some level? Maybe I take it too far though. I read Ayn
Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" so I could get a better understanding of the
ideology that Republicans masturbate to. In the process, I found
myself identifying with almost all of the characters. It's silly
though. Rand paints the liberals as do-nothing leeches of the system
while the billionaires are hard working engineers. I suppose that book
and "Celestine Prophecy" are the two books I went into with a general
understanding of why people love/hate them.

Q: Do you read one book at a time or more than one?

A: I have a few books going at once, but there's always the main book
that I plow through while the others get picked up from time to time.
There's typically one or two books that I keep in my bathroom. Just
for shits and giggles.

Last edited by SFR announcement on Tue May 20, 2014 4:37 pm; edited 1 time in total

Fri May 16, 2014 3:59 pm

Captiv8

Joined: 25 Aug 2006
Posts: 8546
Location: Third Coast

I got tired of hearing Sole rap about her so I'm reading a biography on Emma Goldman instead. Pretty damn good, and very interesting.

Tue May 20, 2014 2:07 pm

NeuroA champion of Kurtis SP

Joined: 19 Jul 2002
Posts: 7852

Philip K. Dick was born on this day in 1928. His story “The Eyes Have It” originally appeared in Science Fiction Stories 1953, but since the copyright wasn’t renewed, it’s lapsed into the public domain. “A little whimsy, now and then, makes for good balance,” the magazine’s editors wrote then. “Theoretically, you could find this type of humor anywhere. But only a topflight science-fictionist, we thought, could have written this story, in just this way … ”

It was quite by accident I discovered this incredible invasion of Earth by lifeforms from another planet. As yet, I haven’t done anything about it; I can’t think of anything to do. I wrote to the Government, and they sent back a pamphlet on the repair and maintenance of frame houses. Anyhow, the whole thing is known; I’m not the first to discover it. Maybe it’s even under control.

I was sitting in my easy-chair, idly turning the pages of a paperbacked book someone had left on the bus, when I came across the reference that first put me on the trail. For a moment I didn’t respond. It took some time for the full import to sink in. After I’d comprehended, it seemed odd I hadn’t noticed it right away.

The reference was clearly to a nonhuman species of incredible properties, not indigenous to Earth. A species, I hasten to point out, customarily masquerading as ordinary human beings. Their disguise, however, became transparent in the face of the following observations by the author. It was at once obvious the author knew everything. Knew everything—and was taking it in his stride. The line (and I tremble remembering it even now) read:
… his eyes slowly roved about the room.

Vague chills assailed me. I tried to picture the eyes. Did they roll like dimes? The passage indicated not; they seemed to move through the air, not over the surface. Rather rapidly, apparently. No one in the story was surprised. That’s what tipped me off. No sign of amazement at such an outrageous thing. Later the matter was amplified.

… his eyes moved from person to person.

There it was in a nutshell. The eyes had clearly come apart from the rest of him and were on their own. My heart pounded and my breath choked in my windpipe. I had stumbled on an accidental mention of a totally unfamiliar race. Obviously non-Terrestrial. Yet, to the characters in the book, it was perfectly natural—which suggested they belonged to the same species.

And the author? A slow suspicion burned in my mind. The author was taking it rather too easily in his stride. Evidently, he felt this was quite a usual thing. He made absolutely no attempt to conceal this knowledge. The story continued:

… presently his eyes fastened on Julia.

Julia, being a lady, had at least the breeding to feel indignant. She is described as blushing and knitting her brows angrily. At this, I sighed with relief. They weren’t all non-Terrestrials. The narrative continues:

… slowly, calmly, his eyes examined every inch of her.

Great Scott! But here the girl turned and stomped off and the matter ended. I lay back in my chair gasping with horror. My wife and family regarded me in wonder.

“What’s wrong, dear?” my wife asked.

I couldn’t tell her. Knowledge like this was too much for the ordinary run-of-the-mill person. I had to keep it to myself. “Nothing,” I gasped. I leaped up, snatched the book, and hurried out of the room.

*

In the garage, I continued reading. There was more. Trembling, I read the next revealing passage:

… he put his arm around Julia. Presently she asked him if he would remove his arm. He immediately did so, with a smile.

It’s not said what was done with the arm after the fellow had removed it. Maybe it was left standing upright in the corner. Maybe it was thrown away. I don’t care. In any case, the full meaning was there, staring me right in the face.

Here was a race of creatures capable of removing portions of their anatomy at will. Eyes, arms—and maybe more. Without batting an eyelash. My knowledge of biology came in handy, at this point. Obviously they were simple beings, uni-cellular, some sort of primitive single-celled things. Beings no more developed than starfish. Starfish can do the same thing, you know.

I read on. And came to this incredible revelation, tossed off coolly by the author without the faintest tremor:

… outside the movie theater we split up. Part of us went inside, part over to the cafe for dinner.

Binary fission, obviously. Splitting in half and forming two entities. Probably each lower half went to the cafe, it being farther, and the upper halves to the movies. I read on, hands shaking. I had really stumbled onto something here. My mind reeled as I made out this passage:

… I’m afraid there’s no doubt about it. Poor Bibney has lost his head again.

Which was followed by:

… and Bob says he has utterly no guts.

Yet Bibney got around as well as the next person. The next person, however, was just as strange. He was soon described as:

… totally lacking in brains.

*

There was no doubt of the thing in the next passage. Julia, whom I had thought to be the one normal person, reveals herself as also being an alien life form, similar to the rest:

… quite deliberately, Julia had given her heart to the young man.

It didn’t relate what the final disposition of the organ was, but I didn’t really care. It was evident Julia had gone right on living in her usual manner, like all the others in the book. Without heart, arms, eyes, brains, viscera, dividing up in two when the occasion demanded. Without a qualm.

… thereupon she gave him her hand.

I sickened. The rascal now had her hand, as well as her heart. I shudder to think what he’s done with them, by this time.

… he took her arm.

Not content to wait, he had to start dismantling her on his own. Flushing crimson, I slammed the book shut and leaped to my feet. But not in time to escape one last reference to those carefree bits of anatomy whose travels had originally thrown me on the track:

… her eyes followed him all the way down the road and across the meadow.

I rushed from the garage and back inside the warm house, as if the accursed things were following me. My wife and children were playing Monopoly in the kitchen. I joined them and played with frantic fervor, brow feverish, teeth chattering.

I had had enough of the thing. I want to hear no more about it. Let them come on. Let them invade Earth. I don’t want to get mixed up in it.

Jesse Custer wrote: Y'all need to quit arguing amongst yourselves and give me a concrete recommendation for a Murakami book to read! I've never read one and I'd like to. Heh.

Don't bother. You either just go read the dust jackets and pick one out on your own or you're just another hipster talking about Murakami to fit in and be cool.

I never heard of him but I saw the IQ84 box set at B&N. I bought it after looking it up and found it be be tedious. It's supposed to be about some sort of parallel reality but I can't get past all this dull boring self indulgent pap about some writer working with his editor, ( I dont understand why it's in the book, it's so boring ) and I can't get past the gross part where the old man, Murakami, writes as if he is a young lesbian and awkwardly and painfully describes what it's like for two young teen girls to feel each others bodies up. I feel like this dude just writes books to hear himself talk, not to mention to talk himself to sleep. Maybe in Japanese culture being boring is a huge thing. I don't get it. Sooo tedious. I constantly ask myself " did this part have a purpose, why did it need to be in here? "

I also mistakenly bought Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage.

I wonder if the wonder of his work is all lost in the translation or something.

His four books I bought will continue to sit here and function as sleeping pills.

If you bother with him don't spend money, borrow from the library in case you're not feeling it.

Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:24 pm

DeadAwake

Joined: 17 Feb 2007
Posts: 582
Location: Aus.

I already sampled, and soon will read through The Arabian Nights. Its just a fantastic piece of literature from what i can tell.